The rise of the grey fleet

A new steering committee has been established to explore issues around the increased prevalence of the grey fleet. The term refers to situations where vehicles used for work purposes are not owned or leased by the organisation employing the driver, including novated lease, volunteer paid mileage and private vehicle use.

Grey fleet has become a hot topic, as many organisations are exploring the concept as a viable option in an effort to reduce fleet costs. However, issues can arise, as the vehicle is still recognised as a work space, so the standard employer responsibilities still apply from a safety perspective.

Specific challenges for organisational fleet management relate to enforcement or adherence of their grey fleet drivers or contractors to organisational safety policies, procedures and legislation. In addition, various organisations may experience slightly different safety management issues, depending on the type of organisation and activities associated with business operations.

Consequently, there is a need to investigate grey fleet activities operations and safety management within various organisations and to develop a range of safe driving initiatives and interventions to assist the fleet management in ensuring work and community driving safety.

The steering committee is being led by the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) and some of the actions to be explored include:

• a clear definition of what is included within grey fleet and the relevant legislation surrounding it;
• helping an organisation calculate the size of its grey fleet;
• development of a policy structure and supporting implementation plan;
• establishing a baseline;
• identify what is pushing workers into the grey fleet;
• explore whether grey fleet drivers take better care of the vehicles than if they were in a fleet vehicle.

The steering committee established a working group that met in May to kick things off. The group was chaired by Dr Darren Wishart from CARRS-Q and included partners from organisations including Coca-Cola Amatil, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, Telstra and Vero.